


No Matter What

by tqpannie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Friendship, Hogwarts Era, The Quidditch Pitch: From Diagon Alley to Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-07-19
Updated: 2007-07-19
Packaged: 2018-10-25 08:11:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10760238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tqpannie/pseuds/tqpannie
Summary: How did Ron and Hermione make the decision to follow Harry?





	No Matter What

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Annie, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015 when the hosting expired, at a time I was not able to renew it. I contacted Open Doors, hoping to preserve the archive using an old backup, and began importing these works as an Open Doors-approved project in April 2017. Open Doors e-mailed all authors about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Quidditch Pitch collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thequidditchpitch/profile).

  
Author's notes: this story has been in my head since HBP and I wanted to get one last story in…before we know how it ends. Thanks to Madam Minnie for the beta read  


* * *

I finally got Harry to swallow a bit of sleeping draught. He drifted off once but woke suddenly-looking around the room as if he'd lost something, and well...I thought he needed to rest.

 

_I need the rest_

 

I reckon I should have had a nip of the sleeping draught so I'd be sleeping instead of lying here listening to Harry snore.

 

_Bet my sister would love to know that...hold on she'd better not know that!_

 

Neville, Seamus, and Dean have been asleep for hours. I shut my curtains against their questions about where Harry was during all of this and how it happened.

 

My mind is too full to sleep and images... well I can't stop the images from playing over and over in my mind.

 

I'm scared... Yeah, I reckon, I can admit that... if only to myself. I was terrified that I couldn't find Hermione, that I couldn't find Harry, and isn't it odd that Draco waited until the three of us were split up before he allowed those bloody Death Eaters into the castle?

 

And Snape, I always said a spotted toad doesn't change his spots, I reckon he proved that tonight.

 

"Ron?"

 

I sit up quickly and pull my curtains open to reveal Hermione. She's standing there in her dressing gown, her eyes are red and swollen from crying, and well... she looks beautiful. I've imagined her here, of course, just not under **these** circumstances.

 

"All right there, Hermione?" I whisper and she gives me a sad smile.

 

"Budge over, Ron." She pulled out her wand and for a brief moment, I thought she was going to hex me. "We need to talk about what happens next."

 

I move over and try to get a bit of control over my racing heart. She casts an Imperturbable Charm and climbs onto the bed before lowering the curtains around us.

 

"Hermione?" My voice squeaks and I'm glad she can't see the blush spreading across my cheeks. "With everything that happened to Bill I didn't get a chance to ask, did you get hurt?"

 

"A few bruises," Hermione leans over and touches my hand. "And you?"

 

"A few cuts from running around in the dark," I reply and sigh. "We were lucky that Harry gave us the rest of the Felix Felicis."

 

I watch a single tear slide down her cheek and for once, I know exactly what to do. I pull her to me and hug her. Just like she did to me back in third year-of course I'm bloody terrified where as she's just sobbing onto my shoulder.

 

I stroke her hair as her sobs dwindle to snuffles and finally trail away altogether. She pulls back slightly and I shrug my shoulders in the dark.

 

"What's the matter?" I ask and sigh. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

 

I run a hand through my hair and I feel more than a bit of fear in my stomach. I know what she's going to say.

 

"We're not coming back to Hogwarts are we?"

 

I stare at her in the dark, trying to make out the expression on her face, and finally give up and reach for my wand.

 

"Lumos," I flick my wrist and a dim glow settles around us. "I'm not."

 

She fiddles with my duvet for a moment before slowly raising her head.  Our eyes meet and I can't help but notice. there are tears lingering on her eyelashes. She shakes her head sadly and sighs softly.

 

"I'm not either," she says worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "We'll have to convince Harry."

 

"I reckon we will," I peer through the crack in the curtains at my best mate sleeping in the next bed. "He'll want to go all noble and protect us. I know him-he'll want to do this alone."

 

"Ron-do you think I would have been Head Girl?"

 

"I reckon you would have," I reach for her hand and squeeze it slightly. "It's best not to think about it now. We've done this together since first year and I think we should finish it together."

 

"Harry told us there was time to turn back if we wanted," Hermione's fingers tighten around mine. "We've had time and neither of us has turned back."

 

"I wouldn't dream of it-he needs us. I make him smile and you make him stop to think."

 

"Ying and Yang," Hermione gives me a soft grin and shrugs her shoulders. "So we agree then? We go with Harry."

 

"Where ever he goes," I nod and squeeze her hand tighter. "No matter what, we'll be there with him."

 

I swallow hard past the lump in my throat as my gaze is drawn back to Harry.

 

"We'll be there Hermione," I repeat and she nods. "You'll work with me on spells of course."

 

"You'll help me research," she grins when I groan.

 

"As long as you don't make me read _Hogwarts, A History_!" I groan again and she laughs.

 

"Fair enough, Ron," she slowly stands up. "Fair enough."

 

She dips her head quickly and her lips brush my cheek. She's gone before I can respond and I lean back against my pillows and stare up at the ceiling again.

 

_Now we just have to convince Harry._


End file.
